Page 88 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2024

THE BOOK
MORE THAN JUST
story by
Kimberly C. Rasmussen
Skincare Secrets for Beginners
As I “gracefully” age into the next phase of my life, I find myself wondering what I should be doing to take better care of my skin. I drink water (but not enough). I wash my face (but make-up removal wipes
are so much easier). I wear sunscreen (because it’s in my moisturizer).
I realized I needed to work on updating my skincare regimen, but like so many, I really wasn’t sure where to start. Sure, I could turn to any one of the thousands of social media recommendations, but I’m old school – not old! – and wanted to sit face to face with a trusted professional and get some tough love on better skincare maintenance.
Rachel Bridges, owner of Bridges Skin and Body in Gulfport, has over 20 years of experience in aesthetics and skincare maintenance. She’s a skincare guru and sought- after esthetician on the Gulf Coast. Specializing in all areas of skincare maintenance, Bridges knows the ins and outs
of what to and what not to do when it comes to simply keeping a youthful glow or delving deeper into the world
of corrective treatments. I sat down with Bridges to get the skinny on some of her best-kept secrets and coveted advice.
Bridges says the most important step for any skincare beginner is choosing the right esthetician for you. She advises anyone to do their research on their provider and sit down for a consultation to ensure that your goals are realistic and that your esthetician of choice is licensed and trained to meet them. She said it’s important to remember that this is
a person you’ll be spending a great deal of time with, so it’s important to feel comfortable and to feel heard.
Having reasonable goals and setting a realistic budget are two items that go hand in hand. Bridges says that often
clients want a quick fix for corrective issues such as wrinkles, lines, or skin discoloration and don’t understand that truly correcting some of these issues takes time, patience, and repeated visits. Consistency and maintenance is key to any long-term plan.
Additionally, choosing the right products for your skin should be as important as choosing what you eat. Bridges advises you to take the time and read your skincare labels, even if they are purchased from a salon. For Bridges, staying on top of skincare trends has always been important. A large part of her clientele is younger than ever before with girls in their teens requesting facials and other skincare treatments. Bridges makes it a point to make these facials more of an educational process with a focus on skincare maintenance, as opposed to a simple pampering process. She hopes to instill the best practices at an early age.
When asked what is the one piece of skincare advice she gives to everyone, Bridges provided a twofold, external and internal answer. Externally, nothing is more important than the daily application of sunscreen. And not just a moisturizer containing sunscreen (guilty!), but actual sunscreen. Nothing will help prevent aging better. But internally, Bridges reminds me that while no one particularly loves aging, we all do it. While we are all our own worst critics, it’s important to love yourself and your skin no matter what.
88 | February 2024
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